Christmas in Connecticut

Revisiting the Christmas Movies

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It’s that time again. By that, I mean it’s time to dust off the Christmas movies and watch them all again. For some reason, it doesn’t feel right to watch them before Thanksgiving, but starting at 12:01 am I can officially start. Not that I ever start at 12:01 am. I’m just saying I could.

I have my list of annual must-see Christmas movies and I have those that I’d like to watch but the world won’t end if I don’t get around to those.

So far, I’ve seen Elf, The Polar Express, and The Santa Clause, so it’s a good start.

I prefer the older black-and-white movies like the ones they show on TCM, like It’s a Wonderful Life, The Bishop’s Wife, Christmas in Connecticut, and A Holiday Affair. Not to say that I don’t like the old color movies like White Christmas. I like ’em all.

I have all the major television specials like A Charlie Brown Christmas and all the Rankin-Bass classics. Hopefully, I can get around to watching those this year because they always leave me feeling warm and fuzzy inside. Kinda like the tryptophan effect without actually consuming all those turkey calories.

I hope you have your favorites, too. I hope you have your family traditions for Christmas. Most of all, I hope you remember that Christmas isn’t really about presents and wrapping and decorations or even those great old movies. Christmas is about the child born in a stable and laid in a manger almost 2,000 years ago. That is what Christmas is truly all about.

 

Halloween Is Over

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great_pumpkin

Technically, Halloween lasts for another 23 minutes. But really it’s over. I can’t imagine too many kids are still out there trick-or-treating.

And I personally don’t have a problem with Halloween.It really is about kids getting to dress up and have fun and get lots of candy. I mean really what other time will you get to interact with your neighbors and their kids and show them the love of Jesus? When else will you get such a perfect opportunity? Just thought I’d throw that in there for what it’s worth.

The best part about Halloween is what comes after. It’s almost like I can really start anticipating Thanksgiving and Advent season and then, my favorite of them all, Christmas.

Part of me still wishes that retail stores would hold off on the inevitable Christmas decorations until after Thanksgiving. At least until after Halloween. But then again, as I get older this part of the year tends to fly by so much faster with each passing year.

I can’t wait to bring out my colossal collection of Christmas movies and music. I have to admit that when it comes to all things Christmas, I like the old stuff. All the old movies like It’s a Wonderful Life, The Bishop’s Wife, White Christmas and Christmas in Connecticut really make me feel all Christmas-y inside. And there’s nothing like Bing Crosby or Nat King Cole to put me in the perfect holiday mood.

Part of it is pure nostalgia. All the old music and vintage decorations really bring me back to when I was a kid and all those people I’ve loved and lost were still a part of my life. It’s like I can remember them more vividly at this time of year than any other time.

Plus, fall is my favorite season. All the crisp weather conjures up visions of bonfires and hayrides and s’mores (with burnt marshmallows) and hot dogs (that are hopefully not burnt).

Oh, and I really like that all those Starbucks out there now have pumpkin spice everything on their menus.

Old Christmas Movies

/ Ragamuffingospelfan / 2 Comments

 

One of the reasons I love this time of year (and there are many) is that I get to pull out my epic collection of Christmas movies and watch all my favorites again. Especially the old ones (meaning those made before I was born).

Don’t get me wrong. I’m a fan of the more recent holiday flicks, too. I love Home Alone, Scrooged, National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, and even the 90’s remake of Miracle on 34th Street.

But my heart truly belongs to the classics.

It’s not Christmas without seeing old films like The Bells of St. Mary’s or The Bishop’s Wife. I can’t really get into the festive mood of the season until I’ve seen White Christmas and It’s a Wonderful Life. Not forgetting lesser-known (but equally classic) movies like Christmas in Connecticut, A Holiday Affair, Holiday Inn, Remember the Night, and A Christmas Carol (any of the older ones are good, but I recommend the 1951 Alistair Sims version).

Maybe I like all these old movies because Christmas makes me nostalgic. I start missing my childhood and the people that I loved that are now gone. I miss the unadulterated excitement that Christmas brought that made me unable to sleep on Christmas Eve.

I know that the proper etiquette is to wait until Thanksgiving to start watching Christmas movies, but I say to that, “Balderdash!” I’m not waiting. Besides, that’s probably not even a real rule, just something I made up.

What old Christmas movies do you watch every year? And by old, I mean pre-1970. I discovered a couple of gems last year for the first time in Come to the Stable and It Happened on 5th Avenue, and I’m always looking for a good holiday classic.

So send me your recommendations. Email me at GMendel72@united.net or find me on facebook or send up smoke signals. Whatever works for you. Just let me know, ’cause enquiring minds want to know.